The present invention relates to discretionary or semiautomatic muffler-brakes for drums. More specifically, the invention relates to mechanical and electromechanical timpano muffler-brakes of discretionary operation. By discretionary operation is meant that damper actuation is under the direct control of the timpanist who is thus free to use the damper in a way that responds to the artistic requirements at any given point in the music. Artistic requirements comprehend the capacity for directing the damping action to any individual drum in a full set or kit and that the instant at which such action is accomplished is determined solely by the artistic judgment of the timpanist, which is not compromised due to any inbuilt limitation of the mechanism.
An example of a non-discretionary muffler is that mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,271: 5; 56-59, which as similar mufflers in ordinary tom-toms, bass, and snare drums, is adjusted to a certain setting which represents a corresponding degree of intensity suppression, and thereafter imposes that some degree of abatement upon all succeeding playing such that this modification to the tone of the instrument is alterable only by once again adjusting the muffling mechanism.
Whereas the character of an exciting blow is subject to wider variance responding to artistic requirements, the character of a cutoff or stifling action entails vibratory extinction and is therefore most often merely categorical. With the timpano, it is rare that the player wants the sound extinguished in a way other than such as simply to secure immediate and total silencing. Nevertheless, the damping action keeps occupied a hand that might otherwise have proceeded to beat another drum. Thus, apart from the instant at which such action is brought in relation to the musical score, damping is itself usually devoid of, and indeed interferes with the attainment of, artistry.
In addition to facilitating the execution of the existing repertoire, provision of a foot-actuated discretionary damper permits the reasonable composition and execution of passages heretofore regarded as simply unplayable. Additionally, provision of a hands-free damper allows accession of the timpano to a more nearly staccato or secco quality as represented by its wave envelope, notwithstanding the relative slowness of speech of the instrument. The significance of this last factor may be illustrated by alluding very briefly to a few sentences by Brindle in Contemporary Percussion, Oxford University Press (London: 1970), p. 157: "Though timpani can be played rapidly, the sounds will not be sharp and clean, but will tend to merge together into a booming roar which may be the very opposite of the rapid, staccato effect the composer probably intended. This is particularly so when a large number of instruments are used, as in rapid passages the player has no time to damp out unwanted sounds (including sympathetic vibrations)."
Materially augmenting the overall technical facility inured through use of the device, is the fact that the position of the pedals on the floor is at the discretion of the player. This possibility inheres in push-pull remote cable controls of which the Bowden, for example, is a kind. When such a control is used, there is no necessity to permanently affix it to the instrument upon which its controlling function is exerted. This situation is equally true in the case of the electrical foot switch. This may appear to be unimportant to the acquisition of augmented technical facility, however it is of considerable meaning in the connection. If, for example, it is necessary to play successively with a high degree of speed, drums situated to either side of the player, it is preferable, especially if a somewhat staccato quality is desired on the final ictuses of drum-alternating rolls, that the pedal controls respective of the two drums concerned be situated not alongside them, but rather alongside the opposite drums. Because when the pedals are so positioned, the player is motionally freed not just to the extent of eliminating the necessity for having his hand physically associated with the drum to be damped, but further to the extent that he can freely rotate the upper portion of his torso. Thus, not just his hand, but his entire body, and for that matter his overall position in relation to the drums, is freed. The player can, as the situation requires, damp a drum he no longer faces, and for this reason, can have betimes proceeded to face the drum yet to be played. Thus the speed with which a staccato effect can be produced with drums at opposite sides of the player as described is significantly increased, while at the same time, the action is accomplished at far more comfort to the player. The player is understood to plan ahead as to what the relative positions of the foot controls shall be, just as he plans the other elements of his performance.
Generally speaking, the various timpani will be arranged in a semicircular formation, with their relative registers rising from left to right. The foot controls then, will in most instances be arranged reversely of this, meaning for example, that that most clockwise will control the drum of lowest register. Normally the radius of this semicircular arrangement of foot controls will be such as to permit a single foot, by means of pivoting on the heel, to operate any one of them. Alternative arrangements are possible, as the relative placement of the foot controls among the drums and themselves is open. Thus, for example, that three or so foot controls may, whether their cables cross over, so to speak, be operated simultaneously by either foot, is considered self evident. All remarks as to placement relate to both uses.
Machine tuning in the timpano provides a continuously variable tautening means over the usable pitch range appropriate to the instrument, and such means are incapable of simply terminating head vibration. Rather, the pedal is used to vary the pitch to which the head is normatively or medianly set by the hand screws. Thus, if one depresses the pedal on a drum incorporating such a mechanism until it be caused to reach the downward limit of overall stroke, the effect thereof is to maximally tauten the head, thereby securing the highest pitch the pedal can provide relative to the degree of tautness initially set by the hand screws. If one depresses the pedal subsequent to membrane excitation, the effect thereof is to produce a glissando effect whereby the pitch is made to slide or sweep upwards while the tone continues to sound. Such tuning means are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,282,406; 1,561,789; 1,755,569; 2,074,194; and 3,021,743 among many others, both foreign and domestic. It is perhaps superfluous to point out that hand tuning means such as that taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,310 are especially devoid of applicability to the end presently sought. Similarly irrelevent is the foot actuated sound quality altering means shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,271, already mentioned in connection with the non-discretionary mute further alluded to therein.
Equally impertinent are the various existing dampers and mutes seen as parts of other instruments. Included among these are dampers seen in pianos, harpsichords, clavichords, vibraphones, and cimbaloms.
The dampers in these instruments fall into either of two categories, neither of which is properly transferrable to the timpani. This is at least partially attributable to certain peculiarities of membranophone vibration (see Taylor, The Timpani, John Baker, (London: 1964) which necessitate spanning of the generative element by the damper to a greater extent. When actuated rapidly, an ineluctable condition in an unmodified solenoid-encorporating embodiment, a large flat surface, notwithstanding the overlying padding, tends to produce an unacceptable amount of noise. Additionally, such a surface interferes with the passage of pressure wave trains internal to the drum, which in the timpani, if somewhat less so in snare drums, ought not to be deflected thus. The first category to which allusion is had includes those dampers of no mechanical connection to the sound exciting means and which are normally of in-use disposition. Dampers of this kind are lifted away from the vibratory elements when the player depresses the pedal that serves this purpose. Into this withdrawal over the entire range type damper category belong the cimbalom and vibraphone. In the other instruments previously specified, a second category is defined by immediate mechanical connection of the damping means to the other mechanical elements in the various individual actions or exciting means. This being the case, damper withdrawal occurs only during and as a part of the overall action resulting from actuation of the exciting means, unless such action is deliberately overriden by means of depressing the damper or sostenuto pedal, the effect of which is to withdraw all dampers from their respective strings simultaneously. It may be seen that the latter is precisely the same as the former, save that additional means are included that are discretionary for the individual tones, a circumstance allowed by the provision for each such tone of its own key and action. The latter category comprehends the familiar piano, where the dampers are in a normally in-use position until they are lifted from the string on actuation of the action belonging to it. This permits ensurance that each tone of the instrument may be sounded alone, rather than have sounded with it those other tones bearing an harmonic relationship to it and which because of this, would be excited to sympathetic vibration with it, were not these latter restricted from doing so by the aforedescribed damping means. The discretionary damping means, as opposed to the overriding means akin the type in the cimbalom, allows vibration to be ended immpediately as the finger is withdrawn from the digital or key. Actuation of the sostenuto pedal then, allows the tone to die away slowly and further be colored by the sympathetic vibration of those strings tuned to tones bearing an harmonic relationship to the tone of reference. This is so, since as indicated, depression of this pedal lifts all dampers from their respective strings simultaneously, against the circumstance that these actuate individually as an inherent and necessary element in causing the tone to which they respectively accord to be sounded.
While it may be seen that the only barrier to timpani application is merely that all these dampers function in a normally in-use position so that simply reversing the operation so as to proceed in a normally out of use positioning would begin to satisfy the requirements peculiar to the timpano, the history of the instrument appears to disclose no such insight on the part of those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be clarified that a set of timpani in fact conform to what is an assemblage of separate musical instruments, which are accordingly spatially discontinuous, used albeit, in direct proximity to one another. Such separation among generating elements disallows a simple transfer of such damping means as are nondiscretionary for specific generating elements within a single instrument body and discretionary thus by reason of direct mechanical connection. Additionally, in a clavier type instrument, it is allowed as enrichening of the tone that harmonically related vibratory elements sound with it on depressing the sostenuto pedal. With the timpani, sympathetic or coercive cross resonance is often taken as objectionable (see Brindle's remark, op cit and Frazeur's in the Percussionist, "Some Thoughts on Timpani and Intonation," Vol. 6; No. 4, May, 1969; p. 116.)
Occasionally, a musical score will direct the player to take a certain passage with partial muffling on con sordino. In this playing effect, the membrane is partially damped prior to being beaten. In the absence of the invented mechanism, this technique is limited in its use to the playing of a single timpano at a given moment owing to the necessity for manual participation in the operation. Obviously, use of the present invention allows partial muffling of two or more timpani simultaneously, it being understood that the device of invention function as a mute if actuated prior to bearing. As previously indicated, the term mute refers to a reduction in sound power output effected by actuation of the device of invention prior to bearing, whereas the term damping refers to extinguishing of the sound subsequent to its unobstructed onset. This corresponds to muting by laying a finger against the membrane prior to beating to mute and so on, the advantage of the invented mechanism being primarily that it eliminates the necessity for using the hand and thus frees it to proceed playing further.